Patriots Let Victory Slip Away in Season Opener 13-10 Loss to Seahawks

Heading into the 2026 season, Pats Nation couldn’t have been more excited. That excitement quickly faded as the Patriots collapsed late in the 4th quarter vs. the Seahawks. After controlling much of the game and holding a 10-0 lead, the Patriots fell apart in the fourth quarter, allowing 13 unanswered points to lose the game. The Patriots failed to defeat the Seahawks even without their star quarterback, Sam Darnold, who injured his hip 5 snaps in and was replaced by Drew Lock. It was an utter disaster to start a highly anticipated season.

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​The game began with 4 straight punts, lining up a very defensive game. Although it was a Super Bowl rematch, it was still hard to watch, even as a die-hard Patriots fan. The first quarter consisted of 3 first downs, 51 total yards, and 0 combined points. It was an absolute snoozefest it was for the first game of the season.

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Along with the slow start in the first quarter, the run game had no movement on both sides. The Patriots ended the first half with just 48 rush yards on 13 attempts, with the majority of rushing yards coming from quarterback Drake Maye. The bright side to having only 48 rush yards in the first half was the fact that Seattle only gained 47, and their longest rush was 13 yards by rookie running back Jadarian Price.

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For the passing attack, the Patriots were not great but efficient. By the end of the first half, Drake Maye was 14 of 19 for 118 yards. Halfway through the second quarter, Maye gave a gift to tight end Eli Raridon, scoring his first NFL touchdown on the goal line, which was the only touchdown and score in the first half.

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For the Patriots defense, they allowed zero points in the first half. Along with that, only 120 yards and 6 first downs were given up. The defense came up big on third downs too. The Seahawks converted only one third down out of 6 tries. The defense seemed to have a chip on their shoulder coming into the game.

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​The beginning of the second half seemed great, until it wasn’t. On the Patriots’ first possession, they marched down into Seahawks territory and were able to finish with a 50-yard field goal from Andy Borregales. But unfortunately, A.J. Brown injured his ankle trying to connect with Drake Maye on a slant pass. He would not return to the game. But with the Patriots being up 10, it seemed that they were in full control of the game.

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The Patriots defense still felt in control of the game. They only allowed a field goal halfway through the third quarter after Seattle took a 7-play drive and took almost 9 minutes off the clock. Going into the fourth quarter, the Patriots still had a very good chance of winning this football game. Until it all came crumbling down in the fourth quarter.

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A Disaster to End the Game

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The Patriots had possession at the beginning of the fourth quarter and seemed ready to march down the field to score and put the Seahawks away. Those dreams were quickly shattered as Drake Maye forced a deep pass to Romeo Doubs, which was tipped and picked off by Seattle’s Nehemiah Pritchett. With the Seahawks taking over possession, they wanted to strike back, and they did just that. Halfway through the drive, on a 4th and 1, in Patriots territory, Drew Lock hit Jaxson Smith-Njigba on a quick hitch route, allowing him to make moves and run into the end zone for a 45-yard touchdown, tying up the game with 11 minutes left.

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On the very next drive, Drake Maye throws another pick on a long third down to Julian Love. His second interception set up a field goal for the Seahawks to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. With nearly six minutes left in the game, the Patriots would get the ball one last time.

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The Patriots, without their top receiver in A.J. Brown, would attempt to drive down the field and score to either take the game into overtime or to win the game. They converted on 2 key fourth downs, giving them a shot to score. As time was running out, the Patriots knew they had to score soon or take a field goal while in Seattle territory. On a third down with 30 seconds left, Drake Maye threw a careless ball into the end zone, which was intercepted by Josh Jobe and ultimately sealed the game for the Seahawks. A complete meltdown just happened on national television. The Patriots had multiple chances to put the game away, but were unable to convert.

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​Although it was a disappointing loss, there were a few bright spots. One of them was Gabe Jacas. The 2026 second-round pick from Illinois made big plays after a shortened training camp with his knee injury. He was able to get his first career sack after fighting through 2 offensive linemen and made an outstanding tackle for loss on Jadarian Price. Patriots fans were unsure what he would look like coming into the game, but I am positive they are all now very excited to see what he can do.

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Will Campbell was another stud in the rough loss. Campbell had a very rough Super Bowl against Seattle with a brutal knee injury, but wanted to set things right in the 2026 season opener. He did not allow a single pressure on 1-on-1s and showed major improvements from last season. Campbell looked to be the 4th overall pick in the 2025 draft that Patriots Nation has been dying to see.

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Christian Gonzalez has been at the top of the headlines in Patriots discussions for the entire summer due to his contract negotiations. Two days before the start of the season, the Patriots and the star cornerback were able to reach a deal for 4 years, $135 million. An absolute payday for one of the best defenders in the league. He certainly proved that he was worth the money after having 2 huge pass breakups against Cooper Kupp and Jaxson Smith-Njigba. He also only allowed 2 receptions for 9 yards. He once again proved he is an elite cornerback.

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The Patriots look to rebound against the Pittsburgh Steelers next weekend on Sunday at 1 pm. If they want to win next weekend, they are going to have to clean up some key areas like protecting the ball, opening up holes for the run game, and creating turnovers on defense. Patriots Nation is looking for Drake Maye and the Patriots to bounce back and handle whatever the Steelers throw at them.